Hang out here in the forums first, you might learn more ;) I,personally, referred to the manual only in the first week because after that I found this place. Just ask and someone will be glad to help you. For starters check this out: http://www.crosswinds.net/~vladt/poser/faq/faq.htm and the tutorials link on the right. As for the handbook, since I don't have it I can't really say if it's worth it.